The Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of Amitabha BuddhaSeventeenth VerseSariputra, as I now praise Buddhas' inconceivable merit, likewise those Buddhas praise my inconceivable merit, saying these words: 'Sakyamuni Buddha can do the extremely difficult, extraordinary thing in the Saha World during the evil times of the five turbidities - the turbidity of a kalpa, the turbidity of sentient beings, and the turbidity of their lifespan - attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. For the sake of sentient beings, He expounds the Dharma, which the entire world finds hard to believe.'

Rulu's Note:In an earlier passage in this sutra, the Buddha says, "Sariputra, as I now praise Amitabha Buddha's inconceivable merit, so too do Buddhas in worlds in the east, ..." Therefore, for this passage, it seems that Sakyamuni Buddha's praising the inconceivable merit of Amitabha Buddha would confirm the earlier passage and would be more relevant than His praising the merit of Buddhas in general. Support of this comment is found in a corresponding passage in another text, in which the Buddha states: "Sariputra, as I now acclaim and praise Amitayus Buddha's inconceivable merit, who has formed his Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss, likewise other Buddha-Tathagatas [in worlds] in the ten directions praise my inconceivable boundless merit, ..." (T12n367)

Hsuan Hua's Commentary:"Shakya" means "able to be humane", and "muni" means "still and silent." The Buddha humanely teaches and converts living beings, and silently returns the light within to cultivate samadhi. The humaneness is movement and the silence is stillness. He moves and yet is always still. He accords with conditions and yet never changes. For him there is nothing conditioned, nothing unconditioned, nothing done and nothing left undone. Shakyamuni Buddha is inconceivable.

The Saha world is a place where one enjoys no bliss but endures every kind of suffering, living beings endure a great deal. They undergo the bitterness unaware that they are suffering. The evil time of the five turbidities (in the Saha world)... are just terrible! The reason we don't realize Buddhahood is because we are stuck in the five turbidities, as if in quicksand, and can't pull ourselves out. When we lift one leg, the other leg sinks deeper, and when we lift that leg the first goes down. There's really no escape. But Shakyamuni Buddha is talented. With his great spiritual powers he can teach you to leap right out of the five turbidities, in a ksana, a mere instant of time. At night when we recite the Great Transference of Merit, we say, "Leaving the five turbidities in a ksana, and arriving at the lotus pool in the flick of a wrist." Like a talented magician, Shakyamuni Buddha leaves the five turbidities, which are:

1. The kalpa turbidity. - Kalpa, that is, time, is turbid. It arises dependent upon the four other turbidities which increase daily, growing bigger and more extreme. That is to say, the turbidity of time is created with the help of the view turbidity, the affliction turbidity, the living beings turbidity, and the life turbidity, and takes the growth of the first four as its basic substance. It takes unceasing flaming as its mark, for, like a flaming fuel, the more it burns, the higher it blazes.

2. The view turbidity. - The view turbidity takes the five quick servants as its basic substance. The five quick servants are the view of a body, the view of extremes, deviant views, the view of grasping at views, and the view of prohibitive morality. It takes mistaken wisdom and cattle morality as its mark. Seeing a dog, a cat, or a cow reborn in the heavens, some people imitate their conduct so that they may be reborn there too. With deviant knowledge and views, they take the genuine doctrine to extremes.

3. The affliction turbidity. - The affliction turbidity takes the five dull servants, greed, hatred, stupidity, pride, and doubt, as its basic substance, and the irritation of afflictions as its mark.

4. The living beings turbidity. - The living beings turbidity takes the combination of the three conditions of father, mother, and one's own karma as its basic substance. It takes the unceasing turning of the wheel of rebirth as its mark. After the three conditions combine, the wheel revolves without stopping, back and forth. This life you are named John and next life, Lee. This life you are a bhiksu and next life you are a bhiksuni. Bhiksus become bhiksunis and bhiksunis turn into bhiksus. Isn't this amazing? It really is!

5. The life turbidity. - The life turbidity takes the reception of warmth as its basic substance and the decline and extinction of the life span as its mark. From youth to middle age on to old age and death - this is the mark of life.

Thich Hai-Quang Commentary:Five Turbidities: These refer to the impurities and suffering ways of sentient beings who live in the Saha World. The pains and sufferings are endless from birth until death, yet sentient beings are so disillusioned and ignorant they remain oblivious to them. This is precisely the reason why the Buddha appeared in the world, to teach and "enlighten" sentient beings from their own ignorance and false views, etc.

Turbidity of Time: The world and people's minds are filthy, filled with evil, wickedness, etc.Turbidity of View: Having false, distored, and wicked views, improper truths.Turbidity of Affliction: Impure thoughts, worries, and afflictions cast over the state of clarity and tranquility.Turbidity of Sentient Beings: Everyone is filled with vengeance and vendetta, competing with others for survival ("survival of the fittest")Turbidity of Physical Body: Body is filthy, foul odor from blood, phlegm, and other bodily secretions (while alive) and becomes rotten & eaten by worms (upon death).

Mind Seal of the Buddhas:Although the merits, virtues, and wisdom of all the Buddhas are equal, the way they bestow their teachings differs in degrees of difficulty and ease. Achieving enlightenment in the Pure Land is easy, compared to achieving enlightenment in our corrupt mundane world. Explaining the Dharma to the sentient beings in the Pure Land is easy, compared to explaining the Dharma to the sentient beings in our corrupt mundane world. Explaining the gradual form of the Buddhist Teaching to the sentient beings in our corrupt mundane world is easy, compared to explaining the sudden form of the Buddhist Teaching. Explaining the sudden forms of the Buddhist Teaching other than the Pure Land teaching to the sentient beings in our corrupt mundane world is easy, compared to explaining the sudden Pure Land teaching of horizontal transcendence.

Explaining the Pure Land teaching of horizontal transcendence with its sudden practice and sudden realization and wondrous contemplation is not easy. But the hardest of all is explaining this supreme skillful technique, this special surpassing wonder, this Pure Land method that goes beyond all conceptualizations, and teaches us that we do not need laborious cultivation, but have only to recite the Buddha-name in order to ascend directly to the level where we do not fall back from the path to enlightenment. That is why all the Buddhas of the ten directions put forward our Sakyamuni Buddha as the most valiant of all.

The sutra speaks of the world of the Five Corruptions. What does this mean?

The corruption of the age means that this is a time when all sorts of corrupt phenomena are gathered together. If not for the Pure Land practice which enables us to transcend the mundane world "horizontally," even though we take our karmic burden along with us, deliverance would surely be impossible.

The corruption of views means that misguided views proliferate: the view that our bodies are entities we possess, the view that we are annihilated after death or else live on forever, the view that there is no cause and effect, the view that what we cling to with our arbitrary opinions is best, and the view that we will find salvation by our own subjectively chosen methods. Because we are deluded by such views, and utterly submerged in them, this is called the corruption of views. Amidst the corruption of views, if we do not make use of the expedient means of the Pure Land teaching to discover our Mind we surely cannot be saved.

The corruption of afflictions means that compulsions and confusions caused by craving, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt are increasing more and more, causing trouble and chaos. Amidst the corruption of afflictions, without the Pure Land practice that affirms that our ordinary minds are one with the Buddha-mind, we surely cannot be saved.

Under the influence of the corruption of views and the corruption of afflictions, the five skandhas mix together in a coarse and debased way, giving rise to what are provisionally called sentient beings: hence the term the corruption of sentient beings. Sentient beings are debased both at the level of form and at the level of mind so they are called corrupt. Given the corruption of sentient beings, without the practice of shunning the mundane world and joyfully seeking the Pure Land, salvation is impossible.

The corruption of life means that our causal basis and hence the results we realize are both degenerate, and our life spans are shortened, and do not reach a hundred years, so they are called corrupt. Given the corruption of life, we cannot be saved without the Pure Land practice.

Moreover, faith and vows and the adornment of the name of Amitabha transform the corruption of the age into an assembly of purity, transform the corruption of views into infinite light, transform the corruption of afflictions into the eternal still light, transform the corruption of sentient beings into beings born by transformation from lotuses in the Pure Land, and transform the corruption of life into infinite life.

Thus each recitation of the Buddha-name is a method of achieving Supreme, Unexcelled Enlightenment practiced by our fundamental teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, in the midst of this evil world of the Five Corruptions. In this sutra Sakyamuni Buddha is taking the whole essence of this enlightenment and bestowing it on sentient beings of this evil and corrupt world. This is the realm which all the Buddhas experience, and which only the Buddhas can experience fully. It is not something which those in the planes of the hell-beings, the hungry ghosts, the animals, the asuras, the human beings, the devas, the shravakas, the pratyekas, or even the Bodhisattvas can fully comprehend by their own power.

When the other Buddhas extol Sakyamuni for teaching the Pure Land method to "sentient beings," this means the people in our evil world of the Five Corruptions. When the sutra mentions "all worlds," it means all the worlds sentient beings inhabit.

Son of Buddha wrote:Hey PorkchopThank you for the time it takes to compile arrange and post all these commentaries along with the sutra qoutes. your postings are being read,I havent commented on them cause everything you post is already well covered in the post itself.

I cant wait for when it comes time to get to the Infinite Life Sutra(Larger Sutra)Peace and Love

No problem Sorry I've been slacking, lot going on lately.Not too much further to go.I may need some time before getting around to the Infinite Life Sutra, however.There are many more commentaries for that one and it's much, much longer.

Son of Buddha wrote:Hey PorkchopThank you for the time it takes to compile arrange and post all these commentaries along with the sutra qoutes. your postings are being read,I havent commented on them cause everything you post is already well covered in the post itself.

I cant wait for when it comes time to get to the Infinite Life Sutra(Larger Sutra)Peace and Love

No problem Sorry I've been slacking, lot going on lately.Not too much further to go.I may need some time before getting around to the Infinite Life Sutra, however.There are many more commentaries for that one and it's much, much longer.

Yea with the Infinite life sutra straight commentary would take too long,also it would be hard to ask questions and start discussions.(a persons question might be in the back of the sutra,it woupd take along time for commentary to get there.)

I was kinda hoping a person could ask a question,then the answer from the sutra would be posted along with the commentary to the passage,I think that would shorten it and ask get to the heart of the matter(answer all the most important questions)

For instance how does the Primal vow work?The pureland is the greatest place(rebirth) I obviously have very little stockpile of merit to get there,even though I dedicate my karmic merits to be reborn into that Pureland,again my stockpile of merit is meager.So would it be correct to say that Amitabha Buddha transfers his stockhouse of merit to me to give me the ability to enter this destination?And if he can transfer his merit to me,could I also transfer my merit to others who may be desined for unfortunate rebirths?

as what I know, without some personal meditative effort, the most Buddhas' can transfer their merits, is bring one to Trayastrimsa heavenly realm. if not, Buddhas will be sending everyone to pureland already. we do have merits in the past to encounter this pureland method. and there's also conditions/affinities that one have to meet for one to be reborn in PL. one need to meet the condition of one-mind-unconfused state too.

Shariputra, those living beings who hear of this should vow: I wish to be born in that country. And why? Because those who are born there assemble in one place with people whose goodness is unsurpassed. Shariputra, if one has few good roots, blessings, and conditions, one cannot be born in that land.

Shariputra, if there is a good man or good woman who hears of Amitabha and holds his name whether for one day, two days, three, four, five days, six days, as long as seven days with one mind unconfused, when this person nears the end of life, before him will appear Amitabha and all the Assembly of Holy Ones.

for us now, our mind are attached to our body, families, duties etc, so it's difficult for Amitabha to pull us to pureland. and the moment, one let go of all this, mostly at the end of life, or bardo period, where the mind is less attached for a small period of time, Amitabha can have the chance to pull us to pureland, spiritually.so merits goes both ways.

_/\_Amituofo!

"Enlightenment is to turn around and see MY own mistake, Other's mistake is also my mistake. Others are right even if they are wrong. i'm wrong even if i'm right. " - Master Chin Kung

Son of Buddha wrote:Yea with the Infinite life sutra straight commentary would take too long,also it would be hard to ask questions and start discussions.(a persons question might be in the back of the sutra,it woupd take along time for commentary to get there.)

I was kinda hoping a person could ask a question,then the answer from the sutra would be posted along with the commentary to the passage,I think that would shorten it and ask get to the heart of the matter(answer all the most important questions)

For instance how does the Primal vow work?The pureland is the greatest place(rebirth) I obviously have very little stockpile of merit to get there,even though I dedicate my karmic merits to be reborn into that Pureland,again my stockpile of merit is meager.So would it be correct to say that Amitabha Buddha transfers his stockhouse of merit to me to give me the ability to enter this destination?And if he can transfer his merit to me,could I also transfer my merit to others who may be destined for unfortunate rebirths?

Primal Vow is one of those questions that I'd really like to have a much more firm grounding before I comment on in depth.It goes along with the second part of your post about merit and the statements even in the Amitabha sutra about "good men" and "good women"; ie how does one become "good" enough to go to the Pure Land? I know that Shinran's take is that any type of self-directed effort at generating merit is ultimately tainted by selfishness and therefor we shouldn't be vain in thinking "because we do meritorious deeds, we are good enough to go to the Pure Land (and/or reach Enlightenment)". That's where the last part of your post comes into play about transference of merit and forming a karmic connection with Amitabha (or any Buddha). I think this link helps to explain a lot: http://www.amtbweb.org/tchet225.htm Also, during the dedication of merit of the daily ritual, many Pure Land folks recite something similar to this:

http://venchinkung.com/mission/ wrote:Dedication of MeritsMay the merits and virtues accrued from this work adorn the Buddha’s Pure Land, repay the Four Kindness above and relieve the sufferings of those in the Three Realms below.

To me the Pure Land is really a state of mind, that Amitabha Buddha tells us to embrace. I am not expecting to be re-born in some entirely different magical realm. But I won't complain if that does in fact happen.

The Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of Amitabha BuddhaEighteenth Verse"Sariputra, know that, in the evil times of the five turbidities, I have done this difficult thing, attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. For the sake of the entire world, I expound the hard-to-believe Dharma. It is extremely difficult!"

Hsuan Hua Commentary:You should know that, in the midst of the five turbidities, Shakyamuni Buddha attains the utmost right and perfect enlightenment and then speaks about the Dharma which people find very difficult to believe. "This Dharma is most difficult to believe, extremely difficult, really hard to believe," says Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha says it's hard, but I say it's easy. Shakyamuni Buddha just said it's hard. It's not hard, really. All you need to do is recite, "Namo Amitabha Buddha." Just go ahead and recite. Wouldn't you say that is easy? No trouble at all. It doesn't cost a thing and it takes no effort or time. It's an extremely easy Buddhadharma.

Mind Seal of the Buddhas:The previous admonition to believe in the Pure Land teaching was the command of all the Buddhas. [Here] is the command of our teacher Sakyarnuni Buddha. Here Sakyamuni addresses all the sentient beings in all worlds, as the Buddhas before addressed themselves to "all you sentient beings." We must realize that the Bodhisattvas like Manjushri and the Arhats like Mahakashyapa are also included among those to whom this command is given.

Faith, vows, and the practice of reciting the Buddha-name can be called a single practice. This is not a matter of contrived action. Only through faith can we enter into this complete transformation of the world of the Five Corruptions into the Pure Land. This is not a realm that mere thinking can get us to.

If it were not for our fundamental teacher Sakyamuni Buddha entering into our evil world, showing the attainment of enlightenment, and using his great wisdom and great compassion to reveal this, practice this, and teach this, how would sentient beings have received this message?

We live amidst the corruption of the age, and we are certainly imprisoned by our time, and harried by suffering.

We live amidst the corruption of views, and we are certainly enmeshed in misguided knowledge, and deluded by false teachers.

We live amidst the corruption of afflictions, and we are certainly ensnared by craving and desire, and burdened by bad karma.

We live amidst the corruption of sentient beings, and we certainly rest complacently in stinking filth, without being aware of it, and are willing to stay degraded and weak, without exerting ourselves to rise any higher.

We live amidst the corruption of life, and we are certainly swallowed up by impermanence, with our lives flashing by to quickly for us to cope.

If we do not deeply understand the severe difficulties we are facing, if we think that there is some other method besides Pure Land practice that can extricate us from the Five Corruptions, we are lost in a welter of empty arguments inside a burning house.

Only if we deeply realize the seriousness of the difficulties we are facing, will we be willing to exterminate our dishonest attitudes, and value Pure Land practice for the treasure it is. This is why our teacher Sakyamuni Buddha went to such lengths to explain to us what a dire situation we are in, and make us realize the implications.

Personal Note:This last part is kind of interesting. Most of this sutra is about the merits of Amitabha Buddha and here we return focus to Shakyamuni Buddha. There's definitely some significance there, possibly even basis for Honen's claim of Amitabha as Samboghakaya. Also, when they talk about the "hard-to-believe Dharma", are they talking the Dharma in general or this specific sutra? I find the open-endedness of that statement to be very interesting, one of those things that make you think. Maybe it's both? Maybe this sutra is a metaphor for the entire Dharma? I mean, it makes reference to the various paths, the 37 factors of Enlightenment, Impermanence, some significance of the 38 Buddhas, lessons from the stories of each of the members of the audience, the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, mindfulness of the Buddha, Suffering, and the 5 turbidities could almost be a metaphor of the 5 skandhas... Nice little Dharma capsule actually. Maybe not as dense as the emptiness in the Heart sutra, but definitely a lot to chew on.

Porkchop, about your last post, I always thought that the Buddha was talking only about the sutra. When he says "its hard to believe" I think he is talking about the fact that no one will believe on a fairy tale such as Pure Land, because it seems something very unreal and to good to be truth. If you talk to someone, right away, about a place where you can reborn just by saying a word, no one will believe you. Thats sounds to much fantastic and stupid. "Its hard to believe"!

Nosta wrote:Porkchop, about your last post, I always thought that the Buddha was talking only about the sutra. When he says "its hard to believe" I think he is talking about the fact that no one will believe on a fairy tale such as Pure Land, because it seems something very unreal and to good to be truth. If you talk to someone, right away, about a place where you can reborn just by saying a word, no one will believe you. Thats sounds to much fantastic and stupid. "Its hard to believe"!

Good point. I think with that view, though, I was reminded of a comment I heard on a Shin Buddhist podcast. The hosts were half-jokingly saying that according to Shinran, the Amitabha/Pure Land teachings were the most important things Shakyamuni ever did in this world. That's why I was wondering if both views were pretty much correct from the standpoint that there is a lot of metaphorical allusion to the entire path of the Dharma contained in just this small sutra. Certainly, this Dharma door is very hard for people to believe - just look at some of the comments from the other schools. Certainly, this Dharma door seems very simple on the surface; but becomes very deep with practice.

The Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of Amitabha BuddhaNineteenth VerseAfter the Buddha pronounced this sutra, Sariputra and other bhiksus, as well as gods, humans, asuras, and others in the entire world, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced, believed in, and accepted the teachings. They made obeisance and departed.

Hsuan Hua Commentary:After the Buddha spoke the Amitabha Sutra, the greatly wise Shariputra and all the great bhiksus, all the worlds with its gods and men, as well as the eight classes of supernatural beings - gods, dragons, yaksa ghosts, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas - hearing with the Buddha had said, joyously welcomed, faithfully accepted, bowed and withdrew. They bowed reverently to Shakyamuni Buddha to thank him for speaking the Amitabha Sutra, and for teaching and transforming living beings. At that time all the great Arhats bowed to the Buddha out of gratitude for having heard this Dharma.

We now, hearing this supreme, deep, subtle, and wonderful Dharma, have certainly planted great good roots in ages past. Consequently, we have a great affinity with Amitabha Buddha, and as a result have been fortunate enough to hear the Amitabha Sutra and to recite the Buddha's name. This is very rare.

Mind Seal of the Buddhas:The Pure Land teaching is inconceivable. It is difficult to believe in and difficult to understand: no one could have asked Buddha about it. But Buddha in his wisdom discerned the dynamics of the situation and realized that the circumstances were ripe for sentient beings to become enlightened. Thus he expounded the Pure Land teaching without being asked, to enable sentient beings to benefit by hearing the truth, to benefit by helping others and doing good, to benefit by shunning evil, and to benefit by experiencing the supreme truth.

Buddha's Pure Land teaching was like timely rain, so the sutra says his listeners "rejoiced and faithfully accepted it." "Rejoiced" means they felt delight of the body and mind. "Faithfully" means they had no doubts or ambivalence. "Accepted it" means they took it in and would never forget it. The phrase "they all bowed in homage" signifies that they were moved by the Buddha's great benevolence, and entrusted themselves to him. Their departure signifies that they went on to practice consistently according to what Buddha had taught them, and never turned back.

AfterwardThe sutra says: "In the Dharma-Ending Age, hundreds of millions of people will cultivate Buddhist practices, but there will rarely be even one who attains enlightenment. They will only find salvation if they rely on reciting the Buddha-name."

Alas! Our contemporary age is precisely the time of which the sutra is speaking. If we abandon this inconceivably powerful method of reciting the Buddha-name, how can we become pure?

When I first left home and became a monk, I prided myself on being a follower of Zen, and I looked down on the scriptures. I wrongly imagined that reciting the Buddha-name was an adaptation of Buddhism suited for those of average and below average capacities.

Later on, due to a grave illness, I developed the aspiration to go to Amitabha's Pure Land. After I studied various Pure Land writings, like the commentaries Miao--tsung and Yuan-chung as well as the Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra by Chu-hung, I finally came to realize that the Buddha-Recitation samadhi is truly the supreme jewel. Only then did I become utterly focused on reciting the Buddha-name -- wild horses couldn't drag me away from it.

A friend of mine who was a long-time Pure Land practitioner wanted to make the great meaning of the Amitabha Sutra clearly apparent in straightforward language, so he asked me to set forth an explanation of the essentials of the sutra. My wish is to enable all sentient beings in the world to be born together in the Pure Land. I could not refuse to serve a good cause, so I set to work writing a commentary on the sutra in late autumn, 1647, and completed the draft nine days later.

My hope is that every line and every word of this commentary will serve as "life provisions" for Pure Land practitioners, and that everyone who reads or hears about it will progress to the level where there is no falling back.

**On "life provisions": Faith, Vows and Practice are called the "three provisions" of the Pure Land method. Just as travelers embarking on a distant journey must make provisions for medicine, food, clothing and funds sufficient to cover their needs en route, so, too, Pure Land practitioners require Faith to make firm Vows. However, Faith and Vows are hollow without Practice. Likewise, even if Practice is adequate, without Faith and Vows, that Practice will go astray, lacking criteria and direction. Therefore, Faith, Vows and Practice are the "provisions" of those returning to the Pure Land from afar (Thich Thien Tam, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, sect. 21).

May those who have faith in the Pure Land and those who are in doubt about it both plant seeds of enlightenment. May those who praise the Pure Land and those who slander it alike reach liberation. I hope that this commentary is accepted and approved by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I hope my fellow students and friends will be happy with this work and grant me their protection.

Written by Ou-i, a man of the Path, age forty-nine.**These vows of Master Ou-i are well-known among Pure Land Buddhists and reflect the essence of Mahayana practice.

Personal Note:When guys like Ou-i and more recently Chin Kung (ie. established scholars who don't initially have much interest in these "faith-based" teachings) later on take a look, see the depth of this path, and speak highly of it - it really does make me feel more comfortable about my preference for this path. I'd like to find those other Chinese commentaries Ou-i mentions if there are any Chinese readers/speakers out there. That about wraps it up. Hope to hear questions and comments from others.

Master Chin Kung were at first not very into "faith-based" teachings, until He found the Pureland teaching in Avatamsaka Sutra and Shurangama Sutra. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra 's final vow in Avatamsaka:

If anyone recites Samantrabhadras vows,

I will speak of a portion of his good roots:

in one single thought he can fulfill

the pure vows of sentient beings.

The supreme and endless blessings from

Samantrabhadras conduct

I now universally transfer;

May every living being, drowning and adrift,

Soon return to the pure land, the land of

Limitless light!

hence, all that Samantrabhadra practice, He transfer them all to pure land, the land of Limitless light!

#50) Maitreya cultivate Consciousness-only Concentration. #51) Maha-stamaprapta Bodhisattva's preachment of remembering Buddha (Pureland teaching). #52) Avalokitesvara's Dharma-Gate -- Enlightened through the gateway of ear. (Buddha recitation emphasis actually on the hearing, the gateway of the ear to shut off the mind from wandering, Note that if a person is concentrated on hearing something(Buddha's Name), there's not possible for the mind to think of another thing. And all the method is to shut the mind from wandering. ) By right, in sequence, Maha-stamaprapta's specialisation of Buddha remembrance-method should be #50, but somehow the Buddha place it After Maitreya's specialisation of Consciousness-only Concentration. there's a swap for this two methods. this is odd to Master Chin Kung. Pureland teaching of Buddha remembrance (Nienfo) is indeed very suitable for people/beings in Saha World.

_/\_Amituofo!

"Enlightenment is to turn around and see MY own mistake, Other's mistake is also my mistake. Others are right even if they are wrong. i'm wrong even if i'm right. " - Master Chin Kung

Nosta wrote:Pratytpanna Sutra would be interesting to discuss. Starting by the fact that there is not much focus on Pure Land, but more on the virtous path one should follow. Its a very inspiring sutra.

I kind of feel like it has the potential to be a bit of a "spoiler".Would almost rather build up to it thematically: smaller -> larger -> contemplation -> pratyutpanna... but maybe I'm incorrect in this...

The early part of this thread is the smaller.Any of them is fine, really.I'm just trying to gauge everyone's interest before starting.I figure if we give people a couple days to respond and the pick which ever one people want to read.Personally, I'm kind of leaning towards the Larger Sukhavati sutra, thought I know it'll be a long one.The other two seem very practice-oriented, with some glimpses of advanced stuff.Pratyutpanna wouldn't be a bad choice though.

In the first discussion here, about the smaller sutra, I wasnt very present. It was right after the birth of my child. I hope I can be more present in the next dicussion; at least present to read more carefully even if I dont participate a lot.